German Importance & Priority Vocabulary List
This set covers the vocabulary of ranking what matters: wichtig for the basic idea of important, bedeutend and ausschlaggebend for shades of significant and decisive, and Stellenwert for the more abstract notion of standing or status something holds. English speakers often try to force one word, "important," to cover all of it, but German splits the concept: wichtig is general, wesentlich points to what's essential at the core, and relevant is used more narrowly than in English, closer to "relevant to this specific decision" than a loose synonym for important.
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All 15 words
- wichtigA1
important
Dieses Formular ist sehr wichtig. — This form is very important.
especially, particularly
Dieses Angebot ist besonders günstig. — This offer is especially cheap.
plural: die Hauptsachen
main thing
Hauptsache, du bist gesund und glücklich. — The main thing is that you're healthy and happy.
significant
Er spielte eine bedeutende Rolle im Projekt. — He played a significant role in the project.
plural: die Bedeutungen
meaning, importance
Das Wort Maus hat inzwischen zwei Bedeutungen. — The word 'mouse' now has two meanings.
- betonenB1
to emphasize
Sie betonte die Wichtigkeit einer gesunden Ernährung. — She emphasized the importance of healthy eating.
- relevantB1
relevant
Diese Information ist für uns sehr relevant. — This information is very relevant to us.
plural: die Schwerpunkte
focus, emphasis
Der Schwerpunkt des Kurses liegt auf Grammatik. — The focus of the course is on grammar.
essential
Das ist ein wesentlicher Teil des Plans. — That is an essential part of the plan.
decisive / deciding / crucial
Sein Argument war ausschlaggebend für die Entscheidung. — His argument was decisive for the decision.
plural: die Ränge
rank, importance
Diese Frage hat für uns hohen Rang. — This question ranks high in importance for us.
plural: die Stellenwerte
place value / status
Der Stellenwert von Bildung ist in unserer Gesellschaft hoch. — The status of education is high in our society.
plural: die Vorränge
priority / precedence
Die Sicherheit hat Vorrang vor allem anderen. — Safety has priority over everything else.
primarily, as a priority
Diese Aufgabe muss vorrangig erledigt werden. — This task must be done as a priority.
plural: die Belange
matter / importance / significance
Dieser Belang ist für uns sehr wichtig. — This matter is very important to us.
How to learn this set
Four of the nouns here are compounds built on ordinary words: Schwerpunkt (schwer + Punkt, literally "heavy point"), Stellenwert (Stelle + Wert, "place" + "value"), Vorrang (vor + Rang, "before" + "rank") and Belang (related to belangen, to concern). Once you see Rang sitting inside Vorrang, and remember der Rang means rank or standing, the compound stops being an abstract new word and becomes "before-rank," which is much easier to hold onto. Drill the three der-words Rang, Stellenwert, and Vorrang together as a group since they share both the article and this layered, spatial logic. For the adjectives, build minimal pairs in your own example sentences: wichtig vs. wesentlich, bedeutend vs. ausschlaggebend, so you feel the difference in strength rather than memorizing translations in isolation.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between wichtig and wesentlich?
Wichtig just means important in a general sense. Wesentlich means essential or fundamental, pointing to the core of something rather than just something worth caring about. If you swap them, German speakers will still understand you, but wesentlich sounds more precise and more formal.
What is the difference between Bedeutung and Wichtigkeit?
Bedeutung is the standard word for both 'meaning' and 'importance' and is used constantly in both senses. Wichtigkeit exists but sounds stiff and bureaucratic, so Germans usually say etwas ist wichtig (something is important) rather than reaching for the noun.
Is Priorität the same as Vorrang?
They overlap, but Vorrang is the older, more native word for precedence, often in fixed phrases like Vorrang haben (to take priority). Priorität is the newer, more common word in everyday and business German, especially in the plural: Prioritäten setzen (to set priorities).
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